Anthropology of Southeast Asia
Scientic Supervisor / Contact Person
Name and Surname
Alberto Fidalgo Castro
ORCID (link)
Researcher ID (link)
Localization & Research Area
Faculty / Institute
Faculty of Political and Social Science
Department
Department of Social Anthropology and Social Psichology
Research Area
Social Sciences and Humanities (SOC)
MSCA & ERC experience
Research group / research team hosted any MSCA fellow?
No
Research group / research team have any ERC beneficiaries?
No
Research Team & Research Topic
Research Team / Research Group Name (if any)
GAME (Grupo de Antropología, medio ambiente y economía [Anthropology, environment and economy]
Brief description of the Research Team / Research Group / Department
About the supervisor.
Throughout my academic career, I have focused on analysing the socio-cultural and political changes involved in State-building in Timor-Leste. I've contributed significantly to Southeast Asian studies at institutions such as the University of Coruña (UDC), University of Brasília (UnB), and Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), which will host the 14th EuroSEAS Conference in 2026, organized by me. My work has made an important mark in the underdeveloped field of Southeast Asian studies in Spain, (noted by Casa Asia’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025).
In my works, I’ve explored how religious rituals and practices are influenced by sociopolitical and historical contexts. My work in economic anthropology has delved into the dynamics of production, distribution, and consumption in Timor-Leste. These findings have been published in international journals and books in Spanish, Portuguese, Tetun (Timor-Leste national language) and English.
I have refined my skills in anthropological, ethnographic, and ethnological research. For fieldwork the development of proficiency in Portuguese, English, Tetum, and Indonesian has been an important skill development. A distinctive feature of my work is the application of Science and Technology Studies (STS) perspectives in analysing case studies. Collaborations with institutions in Brazil and Timor-Leste, where I lived for almost five years in each, have been vital in expanding the impact of my research and enhancing the understanding of social, cultural, and political dynamics in Southeast Asia.
My leadership roles include serving as a Board Member (2019-2023) and now Vice President of EuroSEAS, and my involvement in AIA-SEAS. My academic work is significantly cited by scholars in countries like Brazil, Portugal, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, and Australia, underscoring its impact. Presentations at international conferences further cement the relevance of my research. I remain affiliated with the University of Brasília’s Department of Anthropology and engage in international collaborations, showcasing a global perspective in anthropological analysis. My research partnerships across multiple countries underscore my role as a facilitator of cross-cultural academic exchange.
One essential part of my career has been dedicated to translating research into practical applications for societal benefits. Projects have ranged from developing cultural case studies to conducting ethnographic research for sustainable community management. I have collaborated mainly with NGOs, but also with public sector and private companies. As an independent consultant, I have produced a critical edition of the Léxico Fataluco-Português dictionary and offered advisory on traditional architecture for public buildings for an architecture study. Additionally, through collaboration with the public sector, I've contributed to a book on the cultural heritage of Timorese traditional houses (Património Cultural de Timor-Leste. As Uma Lulik do Distrito de Ainaro) and produced a documentary, Uma Lulik, Futuro da Tradição. These projects, primarily in Timorese and Indonesian contexts, were developed as a working applied anthropologist.
I've supervised over seven BA students, evaluated seven doctoral theses in Brazil. Through LEEG-UnB seminars and international collaborations, I’ve significantly enhanced the global research exposure of young researchers. More recently, I have been involved in establishing a research group at Complutense University focused on Anthropology, Environment, and Economy (GAME, using its Spanish acronym). The proposal was submitted for approval in February 2024 and is currently pending resolution.
I am part of the Editorial Team at AIA-SEAS Press, which plans to publish its inaugural book in 2025. Since 2019, I have also been the editor of Anuário Antropológico. Additionally, I serve on the editorial boards of journals in both Timor-Leste and Brazil. As a peer reviewer, I have evaluated articles for publications such as Social Analysis, Development in Practice, The Asia-Pacific Journal of Anthropology, and Politics, Religion & Ideology, among many others.
About GAME Reseach Team
The GAME Research team has three main areas of action: environment, economy, and territory, which current literature and research production present in an articulated manner as they are intertwined with the socio-environmental challenges we face at a planetary level.
The first line focuses on the relationships between human groups and the cultural dynamics they develop in their relationship with the environment. Within this line, aspects such as ontologies, cosmologies, and interspecies relations are highlighted.
The second line is related to the analysis of the plurality of contemporary economic forms, where different forms of provisioning, distribution, exchange, and consumption are studied. Special attention is given to economic forms not oriented towards accumulation.
The third line of analysis is marked by the analysis of representations, practices, and narratives surrounding the territory from an anthropological perspective. From this perspective, attention is given to aspects such as development, tourism, or phenomena such as depopulation.
Through qualitative methodologies, mainly ethnographic, we aim to synergistically contribute to the interdisciplinary study of the complex relationship between humans, the environment, economic forms, and territorial management in a global capitalist socioeconomic context, and in socio-ecological crisis. This group will pay special attention to those cultural and institutional practices that, in a transformative way, propose alternative scenarios that put life at the center. All this research work will be carried out in Spain, Portugal, Central America, the Amazon, and Southeast Asia; and in socioecosystems as varied as tropical forests, arid zones, coastal and river wetlands, and urban, peri-urban, or rururban environments.
Throughout my academic career, I have focused on analysing the socio-cultural and political changes involved in State-building in Timor-Leste. I've contributed significantly to Southeast Asian studies at institutions such as the University of Coruña (UDC), University of Brasília (UnB), and Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), which will host the 14th EuroSEAS Conference in 2026, organized by me. My work has made an important mark in the underdeveloped field of Southeast Asian studies in Spain, (noted by Casa Asia’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025).
In my works, I’ve explored how religious rituals and practices are influenced by sociopolitical and historical contexts. My work in economic anthropology has delved into the dynamics of production, distribution, and consumption in Timor-Leste. These findings have been published in international journals and books in Spanish, Portuguese, Tetun (Timor-Leste national language) and English.
I have refined my skills in anthropological, ethnographic, and ethnological research. For fieldwork the development of proficiency in Portuguese, English, Tetum, and Indonesian has been an important skill development. A distinctive feature of my work is the application of Science and Technology Studies (STS) perspectives in analysing case studies. Collaborations with institutions in Brazil and Timor-Leste, where I lived for almost five years in each, have been vital in expanding the impact of my research and enhancing the understanding of social, cultural, and political dynamics in Southeast Asia.
My leadership roles include serving as a Board Member (2019-2023) and now Vice President of EuroSEAS, and my involvement in AIA-SEAS. My academic work is significantly cited by scholars in countries like Brazil, Portugal, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, and Australia, underscoring its impact. Presentations at international conferences further cement the relevance of my research. I remain affiliated with the University of Brasília’s Department of Anthropology and engage in international collaborations, showcasing a global perspective in anthropological analysis. My research partnerships across multiple countries underscore my role as a facilitator of cross-cultural academic exchange.
One essential part of my career has been dedicated to translating research into practical applications for societal benefits. Projects have ranged from developing cultural case studies to conducting ethnographic research for sustainable community management. I have collaborated mainly with NGOs, but also with public sector and private companies. As an independent consultant, I have produced a critical edition of the Léxico Fataluco-Português dictionary and offered advisory on traditional architecture for public buildings for an architecture study. Additionally, through collaboration with the public sector, I've contributed to a book on the cultural heritage of Timorese traditional houses (Património Cultural de Timor-Leste. As Uma Lulik do Distrito de Ainaro) and produced a documentary, Uma Lulik, Futuro da Tradição. These projects, primarily in Timorese and Indonesian contexts, were developed as a working applied anthropologist.
I've supervised over seven BA students, evaluated seven doctoral theses in Brazil. Through LEEG-UnB seminars and international collaborations, I’ve significantly enhanced the global research exposure of young researchers. More recently, I have been involved in establishing a research group at Complutense University focused on Anthropology, Environment, and Economy (GAME, using its Spanish acronym). The proposal was submitted for approval in February 2024 and is currently pending resolution.
I am part of the Editorial Team at AIA-SEAS Press, which plans to publish its inaugural book in 2025. Since 2019, I have also been the editor of Anuário Antropológico. Additionally, I serve on the editorial boards of journals in both Timor-Leste and Brazil. As a peer reviewer, I have evaluated articles for publications such as Social Analysis, Development in Practice, The Asia-Pacific Journal of Anthropology, and Politics, Religion & Ideology, among many others.
About GAME Reseach Team
The GAME Research team has three main areas of action: environment, economy, and territory, which current literature and research production present in an articulated manner as they are intertwined with the socio-environmental challenges we face at a planetary level.
The first line focuses on the relationships between human groups and the cultural dynamics they develop in their relationship with the environment. Within this line, aspects such as ontologies, cosmologies, and interspecies relations are highlighted.
The second line is related to the analysis of the plurality of contemporary economic forms, where different forms of provisioning, distribution, exchange, and consumption are studied. Special attention is given to economic forms not oriented towards accumulation.
The third line of analysis is marked by the analysis of representations, practices, and narratives surrounding the territory from an anthropological perspective. From this perspective, attention is given to aspects such as development, tourism, or phenomena such as depopulation.
Through qualitative methodologies, mainly ethnographic, we aim to synergistically contribute to the interdisciplinary study of the complex relationship between humans, the environment, economic forms, and territorial management in a global capitalist socioeconomic context, and in socio-ecological crisis. This group will pay special attention to those cultural and institutional practices that, in a transformative way, propose alternative scenarios that put life at the center. All this research work will be carried out in Spain, Portugal, Central America, the Amazon, and Southeast Asia; and in socioecosystems as varied as tropical forests, arid zones, coastal and river wetlands, and urban, peri-urban, or rururban environments.
Research lines / projects proposed
Anthropology of Southeast Asia
Ecological and Environmental Anthropology
Economic Anthropology
Development Anthropology
Tourism Anthropology
Food Anthropology
Applied Anthropology
Territorial Anthropology
Indigenous Ethnologies
Ecological and Environmental Anthropology
Economic Anthropology
Development Anthropology
Tourism Anthropology
Food Anthropology
Applied Anthropology
Territorial Anthropology
Indigenous Ethnologies
Key words
Application requirements
Professional Experience & Documents
Submit an updated curriculum vitae (CV) and a cover letter highlighting your achievements and relevant experience.
Possess academic qualifications relevant to the offered position.
Previous experience in related projects is highly valued for integration into the team.
Proficiency in English and at least one Southeast Asian language is preferred.
Possess academic qualifications relevant to the offered position.
Previous experience in related projects is highly valued for integration into the team.
Proficiency in English and at least one Southeast Asian language is preferred.
One Page Proposal
You can attach the 'One Page Proposal' to enhance the attractiveness of your application. Supervisors usually appreciate it. Please take into account your background and the information provided in Research Team & Research Topic section to fill in it.
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